"In fact, it is not only Italy that we have benefited from the war this time, but also further optimized our strategic situation in the European region. And this cannot be measured in terms of money or other material things. Everyone can see that the Mediterranean Sea has become an inland sea for the Allies, but why not think about how we can take advantage of it? If everyone keeps thinking about how to use the air force and the army to break through the opponent's defense line from the front, then what is the use of our navy? Count Spee said with a smile.

"If you look at the map, how far is it from the Genaia region of Italy by sea to the ports of Marseille and Toulon in France? I don't think it's going to be much farther than going through the Kiel Canal! The French did not build a coastal Maginot Line in their southern region. And when the High Seas Fleet enters the Mediterranean, the French ports will be directly attacked by our naval guns and carrier-based aircraft, and I do not think that it will be very difficult to cooperate with the air force of Field Marshal Richthofen under the full force of the High Seas Fleet. Moreover, under the supervision of the Imperial German Navy, the Spaniards absolutely did not dare to let the fleet of the Entente pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. Even as long as we deploy some aviation and mine-laying troops in Spain, we can easily lock the western gate of the Mediterranean. I don't know about the army, but as you have said, the French will definitely deploy their main forces on the northern border line for defense, and even if they find that something is wrong in the south, I am afraid that it will not be too late to prevent us from gaining a foothold in the south of France. Count Spee looked at Richthofen and motioned for him to continue.

"If the battlefield were in the south of France, the Imperial Air Force would not have feared the British and the French. We have a better advantage in deployment, we can deploy air forces in Italy and Spain, we have more airfields with wider frontages. The British fighters had good performance, but the range was too short. If the British deployed more than 30% of their air power in the Middle East, then the Imperial Air Force plus the Austro-Hungarian Air Force would form an advantage over the British and French air forces in Europe. This advantage will be relatively large. How much it can do depends on how well Italy's production capacity recovers. Richthofen thought for a moment and said.

Richthofen is definitely no joke. Although the Air Force can complete a special flight in a very short time, the mobility of the mobilization is much stronger than that of the Army. However, in fact, after the plane flies over, how much combat effectiveness it can exert depends on the situation at the airport and the material reserves. Airplanes can fly through the air, but fuel and various parts also need to be transported by rail and road. Moreover, whether the airport has sufficient anti-aircraft firepower and radar warning is also crucial, even if the other side has hoarded some fuel and parts at the airport to temporarily transfer to the flight team to use, but it can't also hoard a bunch of anti-aircraft guns at the online airport, right? In particular, large-caliber anti-aircraft guns are very expensive to build. As for the radar? Some radars are mobile, but some are stationary. When the battle line changed instantly, it was impossible for the French to move the air defense system built along the Maginot Line directly to the south!

"It's a kind of interesting idea. However, how to transfer a large number of troops to Italy quietly is a more troublesome problem, but it is good as a new breakthrough. This plan could be perfected. A few minutes later. Ludendorff also expressed his support for the plan. From this moment on, what Xu Jie was worried about finally happened! With the demise of Italy, France's fragile belly was finally exposed to the blade of the Allies. And the latter still hasn't taken any remedial action!

Of course, when the idea came out, it did not mean that France could be easily taken, after all, France's efficiency and strength were much stronger than Italy, the last power with internal and external troubles. And once it starts with France, then it means the opening of the big war, and the Allies must take down the opponent as soon as possible! Subsequently, senior officials of the German General Staff also began to think about how to realize this plan. …

If you want to defeat your opponent, you must first understand the strength of your opponent. It is true that the French forces in the south are relatively empty, and there is no naval force other than a small submarine force and a few offshore torpedo boats. And Corsica, which is adjacent to Sardinia, did not have many troops, because the French believed that in the event of war. If the Allies wanted to take Corsica, it would be easy. The French leadership believes that the deployment of large numbers of troops and equipment on isolated islands is not only useless, but rather a waste. In addition to submarines, another threat at sea was the possible presence of mine arrays near the harbor, but if the Germans could launch a surprise attack, it would be difficult for the French to deploy many mines in a hurry.

The French did not have a lot of defense at sea, but the army was relatively strong. To say that the French did not expect that Germany might launch a landing on the southern port is to wronged the French, but it is true that the concerns raised by de Gaulle have not been taken seriously by the French leadership. The French top brass believed that the focus of German operations in future wars would be on the Far East, as evidenced by the fact that Germany had built a large number of naval bases in Crete and the Balkans, as well as in the Gulf of Iran. So it is entirely possible that the Germans will be on the defensive in Western Europe, and the British will also move their main forces to South Asia in order to keep India. Perhaps someone suggested that smashing the Yellow Dragon would end the war more quickly. However, the strength of the German Army during World War I is still fresh in the memory of Britain, France and the United States. Therefore, the Entente did not require that the British, American, and French armies could break through the Franco-German border. After all, it was very difficult for the Germans to fight France with the support of the United States and Britain, and it was almost impossible for the French Army to break the defense line heavily garrisoned by Germany!

So. The main task of the French Army was to contain the main forces of the German Army and reduce the pressure on the Allies in the Middle East and South Asia. At the same time to defend against the German Army offensive against France. And France was used as the air base of the Allied air force on the European continent, so that the strategic bomber forces of the United States and Britain could launch strategic bombing against Germany. So in general, the operational idea of the French Army was to be used for the defense of the homeland, and the offensive was left to the British and Americans. And according to the experience of the last world war, in addition to building a strong line of defense, it is necessary to have a large depth, and the second and third lines of defense should be preset in order to close the gap. Originally, the only thing the French army needed to defend was the Franco-Belgian border with Germany. But now, because of the fall of Italy, France must also deploy troops on the Franco-Italian border, and behind the Franco-Italian border, the French have also deployed a certain size of mobile corps.

Overall, the deployment of the French Army was more defensive, with static defensive forces accounting for a large part of the overall number. However, the number of mobile corps is relatively insufficient, especially in the south, where the troops are mainly mountain warfare troops and lack heavy weapons. Therefore, the main thing is to limit the reinforcements of the other side, so with the full support of the navy, it is not difficult for the German army to land in southern France.

"Will the Air Force be able to guarantee the paralysis of France's transportation system?" In the ensuing discussion, Hindenburg asked Richthofen more than once. There was a limit to the throughput of the port, especially if it had been taken from an adversary, and its throughput would certainly not be comparable to that of peacetime, and the German Army would be fighting without heavy firepower for a considerable period of time. It was impossible for the German fleet to maintain high-intensity fire support all the time, and the range of fire support was relatively limited, and in the end it was only the air force that could be counted on. And if it cannot be taken in a short time, as the British Air Force and the French Air Force gradually adapt to the situation, then the situation of the landed German troops will be even worse. It is not impossible to be driven into the sea to feed the fish.

As for this problem, although Richthofen promised at the beginning that there would be a certain advantage, it was only a numerical advantage, and it is really impossible to say what the actual situation is. So the idea just gave the Germans an idea, and there is still a long way to go before it can be turned into reality. What the Germans did not expect was that France, which had suffered heavy losses in the last war and had not received any compensation, far exceeded the estimates of the Allies in terms of the conservative defense policy, in other words, it was completely cowardly! …

There is even a centrist mentality within the French government that wants to maintain French interests through neutrality. Although this thinking did not lead to France's withdrawal from the Entente, as the closest country to Italy, France's investment in the Italian Civil War can be described as stingy! And this is still the case that the United Kingdom, the United States and China pay for the French * fee part! And for future wars, the French even put forward a combat principle called "limited responsibility". That is, France guaranteed its own security, threatening Germany itself with a static offensive and a strong force in order to reduce the pressure on the Entente in the Middle East. But as for how to threaten France, whether to launch an offensive to contain or scare the opponent, the French did not say clearly.

Moreover, on the issue of the stationing of Entente forces, France was more conservative, and seriously developed the size and type of air force of the British Air Force stationed in France on the basis of the need for respect for sovereignty and the lack of infrastructure. The reason is very different, because of the distance, the Germans may have taken revenge on the British, but it is convenient to deal with the French. The French did not want to be cannon fodder for the British. From a series of actions by the French, China and the United States and Britain have already smelled a strong smell of appeasement. Although history has changed and the French are building up their armaments, the appeasement tendencies in them are the same as in history! This behavior naturally caused dissatisfaction among allies, and even more deeply worried about Xu Jie. Just like that, you are still planning to fight a war with the powerful Allies? Isn't that a joke?

"It's time to find new allies." Xu Jie sighed and said.

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